Be Still My Soul.

Sometimes its hard to be brave. To be the stronger one

Sometimes its hard to be the bigger person and watch others do things well, wrong

Sometimes it hard to sit back and watch someone else go through all you have already been through

Sometimes its hard to tell people what to do and to somehow get them to respect your authority

Sometimes its hard to figure out how to explain that you know what is best for yourself to others who completely misunderstand

Sometimes its hard to adjust to change and step outside of your comfort zone

Sometimes its hard to take that leap of faith you know will change everything

Sometimes its hard to listen to people telling you not to get your hopes up

Sometimes its hard to let reality sink in and to try to tell yourself it will be okay

Sometimes its hard to grasp that life quickly comes and passes and won't wait for you to catch up

Sometimes its hard to look at those pictures and understand that the wait is far from over

Sometimes its hard to figure things out for yourself and to keep finding dead ends

Sometimes its hard to keep pushing forward without the slightest bit of recognition

Sometimes its hard to let go of the past and begin anew

Sometimes life is just really hard.

But sometimes I remember that even through the hardest of moments, I have a divine purpose. No trial is too difficult and no obstacle is too complicated. 

Sometimes I remember that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) and suddenly everything is okay.

Sometimes I just need to get on my knees and pray, and immediately I am reminded of the love my savior and my Heavenly Father have for me.

Sometimes I just need to relax, and remind myself that I am in good hands.

These are our sunbeams... some of them.

They are precious. I love my calling so very much.

Happy Sunday :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

1

That's Our Kind Of Love

Letters from my missionary make me feel giddy.

They completely change my mood.

I instantly feel warm and connected to him.

I decided to open and read my letter in front of my web cam, I put it on a timer, and a continuous picture mode. 

When looking at the pictures I immediately thought, well I look silly...

But then I realized how one letter really can make me THAT happy.

Sure I look silly, but that's our kind of love :)

Since I am on the topic of talking about my missionary, I might as well brag about him a little longer since he never does for himself. Such a humble soul.

Take a quick look at THIS article, and follow it to THIS list.

See the name Hunter Moore?

That's right friends it is pretty clear that BYU is proclaiming him to be one of their very own football players!

Oh the joy and the excitement!

Fingers crossed that his name will be on the back of one of their jerseys one day.

Stud.

As for now though, he is called to serve and we couldn't be any happier that he is a serving a mission :)

All my love,

Aleigh  Joy

1

Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams.

Oh online shopping.

It will one day be the death of me.

If it weren't for pinterest I wouldn't even know about all the beautiful websites that make me believe I need EVERYTHING they sell.

I get in my pajamas, I see a pretty  Gorgeous purse.

All of a sudden I make my hypnotized little mind believe I need it.

I was between two options. It was a tough battle.

But one prevailed

So now I am the proud owner of this pretty little pink handbag!

I might have bought a teal sweatshirt  today as well...

What? I needed that too. I think.

Happy Wednesday!

all my love,

Aleigh Joy

2

You throw your head back laughing like a little kid.

Two incredibly happy things occurred as of last night.

I feel that I must share my excitement with the blog world.

1) Taylor Swift released yet another single off of her new album and once again I am obsessed.

It may have been playing on repeat for at least half an hour last night

The lyrics may have been opened up on another tab as well

I must be prepared to sing along to every song at her concert right?

If only...

2) Elder Hunter Miles Moore sent home a picture! YAY!!

Anddd this one wasn't blurry!

Can I get a Hallelujah! 

He is so attractive.

Sorry. It's the truth.

Oh and I am so delighted that he is wearing the tie that I just sent him, success :)

On another note, I was fully imersed in Christmas fever last night. (if that song doesn't put you in the spirit I don't know what will)

It hit me full throttle. 

And its not even October yet. 

Not to mention its also scorching hot. 

Looks like its time to break out my Polar Express movie to satisfy my craving.

Oh and just one last thing.

So I guess it was more than two things...

3) See this little countdown?

Well, as of last night I only have one more letter to fill up on the top row!

So much excitement. Who knew little black dots would mean so much to me?

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

2

Mouthwatering Monday: Fluffernutter Cookies

Oh. My. Gosh

These cookies will change the way you look at cookies forever. 

I am in love. 

I made them yesterday and found them to be quite a big hit. 

The perfect peanut butter cookie, with a hint of salt.

The perfect amount of ooeey gooey marshmallow

The perfect amount of rich chocolaty glaze

Its as if you died and went to Heaven.

Calories? What?

I'm just putting on my winter coat ya know...

I have to share this recipe. But beware, they are seriously addicting.

Fluffernutter Chocolate Gobs

Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Mini marshmallows (I used the big marshmallows cut in half)

Chocolate Glaze 

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk, depending on how thick you want it

(Also I felt this wouldn't be enough glaze so I added a little extra butter and the milk, plus more powdered sugar which I am very thankful for)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla.

Gradually add in flour mixture on low speed. Chill dough for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.

Place by rounded spoonfuls on a lightly greased cooking sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes, until edges are very lightly browned. Remove from oven and place 3 or 4 mini marshmallows on top of each cookie (you may need to flatten the cookies slightly with a spatula first), then return to oven for 2-3 minutes, until the marshmallows are melted. Let cool completely.

When cooled completely, make the glaze by melting the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cocoa powder and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Slowly stir in the powdered sugar, gradually adding the milk as needed to get it the desired consistency (you want it thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough that it won't run all over- a little thicker than molasses). Spoon a small amount over the top of each cookie. Glaze with set slightly upon cooling.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Well there you have it! 

And I am sorry.

Because now you are trapped.

I have nothing else to sat except that you MUST make these.

And then eat at least three...

Have a wonderful Monday!

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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Wake me up when September ends.

We have reached the start of another week!

Where the heck did September go? I swear it felt like a dream that I guess I just woke up to and realized how quickly time is passing by. 

We are in the last week of September... I might as well start preparing for 2013 now because the holiday season always seems to sneak up on me and then passes by far too quickly.

This week came and went as well... kay did someone not tell me that time drastically speeds up as you grow older? Crazy I tell ya.

Now I am going to ramble as I reminisce over the weekly happenings.

• I have a love/hate relationship with restaurants that put the amount of calories their menu items have for all to see. It kinda ruins the fun of great food. But hey, I guess being a little more health conscious wouldn't be such a bad idea. 
• Fall is approaching, but in southern California... you would never be able to tell. I love sunny San Diego, but seasons would really be nice for my holiday cravings. Its been too hot. Mr weather man predicts 80's high and low for the next week and a half. Grrrr.
• Due to a new season approaching, the night has been falling quite a bit quicker. I have another love/hate relationship with this. For those of us that sometimes don't get off til about 6, our runs are cut short as we find ourselves sprinting home in the darkness. Sketchy business I tell ya.
• It seems to be that if I make a list of all the things I need to do in a day I get carried away and make it far too long thus leaving me feeling too overwhelmed and only getting half the list done. If I just stumble upon what I need to do in my thought process, I get a lot more done. We all work differently I guess. 
• Yoga is quite relaxing and makes my body feel stretchy, but come on tree huggers... this meditation mumbo jumbo is comical. As the instructor said something along the lines of "my inner teacher respects your inner student" I tried my hardest not to burst out in laughter.

For your viewing pleasure:

My latest obsession: Orange Carrot Karma. No bananas sub peaches. Light mango sub raspberries.  Soy protein. Do it.

I really enjoy training the newbies. It has shown me how much I have grown in this company. Oh did I mention I ended up getting promoted? :) Hello raise! and 8 hour training class... 

Wait! Don't go grab your glasses... you're reading right! $1 smoothies is correct
And it continues this week!

Look at us all stoked about yoga and stuff :)
And before this, we went for a long walk where a wonderful talk took place :)

The first football game a few weeks ago!

I highly recommend  going through your closet and trying on all of your clothes in different combinations. I did, and now don't feel like I need to go shopping as much :)

I got my hair cut! It may not look like it in this picture but I promise I did.
She cut 3 inches off and added layers and I am just loving it :)

This week's game! My brother is manly. I love these men.

I tend to have quite long posts. I just have a lot to say i guess.

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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Mouthwatering Monday: Bombshell Brownies

Let's be honest, sometimes we all just need a pick me up on a Monday.

I firmly believe that something sweet will do just the trick. Especially with the holiday season quickly approaching.

Therefore:

Bombshell Brownies!

I feel slightly silly for naming them that, but oh well... They are quite delish.

This brownie is a triple chocolate chunk brownie with a graham cracker crust and peanut butter whipped cream frosting. Yes, I went there.

Ingredients:

For the brownies

- 1 package ghiradelli triple chocolate brownies

For the crust

- 1 package smashed graham crackers

1/4 cup white sugar

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/2 stick melted butter

For the frosting

- 1 stick of butter

-1/2 cup shortening

- 1 tblsp vanilla extract

- A pinch of salt

- 1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

- About 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

- About 8 cups powdered sugar, but just use until desired consistency is reached

- And fudge sauce to drizzle on top

And now for the step by step process!

First preheat the oven to whatever the package of brownies desires

These can be found at most grocery stores, but costco sells them in bulk

Then add the ingredients needed and mix

Set the batter aside once fully mixed and move on to the graham cracker crust

Put the grahams in a ziploc and use a meat tenderizer to turn into crumbs

(disclaimer: I doubled my recipe when I made them so my pictures will have a larger quantity)

Add melted butter and sugars. Use your hands to mush it all together to make crust consistency.

It should look pretty crumbly

Pat the crumbs down into desired baking dish until a crust forms

Pour batter over the crust and bake to the time on the brownie box

At this point I got really hungry so I made myself chicken and broccoli while the brownies were baking :)

Once the timer goes off, check the middle with a toothpick. If it comes out clean or close to it they are ready!

Next, add butter, shortening, vanilla, salt, and peanut butter to a bowl

Whip with a hand mixer

Alternate adding in powdered sugar and whipping cream until the frosting is light and fluffy. Give or take my measurements a little, just use your best judgement. 

After the brownies have cooled completely I evenly distributed the frosting and swirled hot fudge topping to make them look pretty :)

And there you have it!

Bombshell brownies :)

Have a very "sweet" Monday :)

-Aleigh Joy

1

These things will change.

Well it is apparent that I have decided to change the blog up a bit.

I was going through pinterest and took note of all things pumpkin! Yum!

Besides the fact that I was dramatically craving everything I saw instantly and repinning like a mad man, I also realized one other very important detail.

Fall is coming!I love fall.

 I have been craving chunky scarves, over sized sweaters, boots and socks, hot cocoa, a chill in the air, and a quicker arrival of the winter season so terribly lately. 

Therefore a change was in order... A more autumn looking blog! And what better says this season is approaching than burnt orange? I'm a fan. 

Speaking of change... This change of season has brought my thoughts to have a discussion with themselves.

I think change is a good thing. After all, the difference wouldn't have taken place if you didn't at one point in time think it was necessary to reach a new level of happiness, correct?

Every change in our lives is a trial and error process.

Don't be afraid of change. You never know what could come of it. 

Well that is all my inspirational juices could come up with today. 

I hope you can take something out of it :)

I think I'm going to change my hair. It's too long right now. 

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

PS: I seriously wanna try this recipe out. If you do first, let me know what you think :)

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Teach and preach and work as missionaries do.

Happy 8 Months!

His visit to Ohio State University

Sweet Hunter has been on his mission for 8 whole months today.
That means we are 1/3 of the way done! Yippeee!
That also means he has been on my mind all. day. long.

I can't believe how quickly the time is going by.

He will be home in a year and 4 months. That's only 487 days. (but who's counting right?)

I am so proud of him for dedicating 2 years of his life to this work. What a commitment.

He has been doing so well and has loved it every step of the way.

I love this sweet boy, and I can't believe how being apart has only strengthened our relationship.

At 8 months Hunter has:

-had 5 baptisms

-been to 2 areas

-loved all his companions

-received 3 packages from me

-sent me a letter every single week

-called home once

-been out for 243 days

-missed football a whole bunch

-had some foot problems that we are praying will go away

-fallen in love with Ohio

-been doing so amazing :)

Wanna know more about what missionaries do and how you can talk with them?

Well, here ya go :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

4

They fill you with fear

Arachnophobia
— noun
	an abnormal fear of spiders So basically, I'm almost positive I have this disorder/fear thing. Those creepy crawlers give me the heebie jeebies. If I were God, I would have made the spiders go extinct before the dinos. Undoubtedly. Here are my reasons: 1) The other night I stayed up into the wee hours of the night plotting how I would exterminate the black creature who decided to grace me with his presence. He was huge, and I swear had more than eight legs. I had a few options. Option number one was to leave it and go have my slumber in the guest room downstairs. This seemed to be a valid option until I remembered that when I would awake the next morning, I would have no idea where the creature would be... So option number two was to not take my eyes off of it until i figured out a way to make it go to spidey heaven. I did just that. I finally figured out that I would remove all things hanging on that wall and throw paper balls at the beast until it was within squishing reach. I threw about 20 and finally hit it, at that moment I screamed bloody murder because it was now crawling on the floor. I wasn't prepared for this moment, in fact I'm just as scared of squishing the monsters as keeping them alive. I finally put my brave pants on and found a large piece of cardboard I used to repeatedly destroy the horrid creepy crawler. I finally went to bed at 1 am and had a nightmare of yet another black beast. 2) Audrey and I were just beginning to get comfortable enough with each other around the end of freshman year to understand that we both had odd things about us. She quickly learned that I have a spidey fear. I decided to take a shower in her bathroom. Within a few minutes I spotted a beast. I felt a pit in my stomach and had to figure out what to do. I couldn't go running out in my birthday suit because this new friend would think I was getting way too comfortable way too fast. So instead I stood on the edge of the bathtub and tried to spray the creature with the shower head. I had to get closer. As soon as I tried I slipped... and fell. Hard. Next thing I know Auds is knocking on the door asking if I'm okay. "Yes" I reply, but in my head am thinking "heck no! I almost died because you let a beast into your bathroom!" 3) One morning I had to be up at 5 am for an ASB pep rally. I went into the bathroom to get somewhat ready. When I returned to my room to get dressed I see a beast plotting to fall atop my head on my ceiling. I first gasped at its presence, but then panicked as I realized none of the men of my house were awake to squish it! I decided that I just wouldn't get dressed. So, I went to school in my pajamas. Luckily the pep rally was a bit of an excuse and my cheer uniform was downstairs in the laundry room. Hunter made several comments all day about how I really must have tried my best to look good that day. What a jokester... Moral of the stories: Well, there isn't really one, I just hate spiders. Throw your hands in the air if you do too! All my love, Aleigh Joy

1

Isn't she lovely

Wednesdays are usually pretty much a blah day.

In high school it was ALWAYS my longest block day and I could not stand it.

Its not Friday and you are just so excited for the weekend, or at least I am.

Its the middle of the week and makes you feel like you have so much time left in the week. 

Yeah I've never really liked em.

However, this week I was looking forward to it!

I had plans to spend time with my lovely friend Amber Gallegos who I have known for what seems like forever.

Can I just get sidetracked for a minute and talk about how lovely Amber is?

Okay cool, I will.

Amber and I started out in good old elementary school where we had a few friendly competitions. Such as the girls party that her friend at the time wasn't invited to resulting in a little argument... Then there was the whole 5th grade presidential election, well we don't need to discuss that. Anywho, we survived and entered middle school where we got even closer. We used to have sleep overs and talk about our lives for hours and hours while doing each others hair and makeup or baking cookies. We would dress up and take cute pictures or make Hannah Montana music videos :) By the time high school rolled around we both ended up in a little bit of a different circle of friends, but out of almost anyone there i always trusted Amber the most. We could not say a word to each other for a month, then pick up right where we left off and catch up for hours. We would never judge the other because we understood that life gets hard and we just need to figure it our for ourselves. We confide in each other and I'm pretty sure we always will. Amber is one of the strongest most beautiful people I have ever known. I have watched her grow into such an amazing young woman over the years and I'm so thankful I have had that opportunity. Dearest Amber, you're a true friend :)

So, I decided to take this lovely friend of mine on a "date" Wednesday night, and I'm proud to say it went very well. I would make such an awesome boyfriend. 

So I took her to Moonlight beach for a little picnic

We got to watch the San Diego Sunset!

We found a guy to take our picture... he happened to be a photographer, score!

We felt Anthony's presence

On the menu was Sprouts deli sandwiches and lemon Italian soda

This was before the dang pigeons attacked our food...
But we still got to eat it, minus half of mine they demolished ha.

She is beautiful

And this is me.

Thank you Amber for a not so "blah" Wednesday
I'm so lucky to have a wonderful friend like you :)

All my love, 
Aleigh Joy

0

Settle down, it'll all be clear

I let my thoughts run free most of the time, I think its good. The quality of my thoughts though, could be altered a little bit. There are plenty of times in my life that I am being too judgmental or too hard on myself. Now, what good will that do to the level of my happiness? Absolutely nothing. I've realized that the times I feel the happiest are when I am dwelling on all things good.

I have reflected a bunch on this past week and the thoughts I let myself think. I tried my hardest to remember all the happy ones, to remind myself of the blessed life I live.

The other day as I was running, I passed by the cemetery in this town. I saw two women standing beside a grave holding each other closely. I immediately thought of the plan of salvation and all the happiness and strength it gives me. I have such a strong testimony of this beautiful plan our Heavenly Father has for us and I am so thankful that I get to live with him again. I'm not sure what the relation those 2 women had to the person they were visiting, but I'll almost guarantee they were family. Would things be different for them if they knew they would have a chance to be with that person again, that there is a happy and perfect life awaiting us after death? I am almost positive it would. Death is but a passing on to the next life, it is necessary in our Heavenly Father's plan. I thought about Anthony and my heart felt happy. That was a quality thought.

I have been babysitting for a family with an adorable baby boy recently. The first time I went there, he was sound asleep for most of the time I was there. This past time I went, I got to play mommy and spend more time holding, cuddling, and playing with the sweet little one. There were several times I would look at him and I really could see Heaven in his eyes. He is perfect, in every way. As I played with him and saw his sweet smile, my heart melted. I fed him and saw the innocence in his eyes. I laid him down in his crib, put in his pacifier and watched his eyes slowly drift away as I sang lullabies. His stillness touched me. I now understand why we are trying to be like children. Yet again I see quality in that thought.

Lastly, today we had testimony meeting in church. For those of you that are not clear on this topic, we as Mormons fast on the first Sunday of every month for something near and dear to us. As we fast we reflect on the reasons we are not eating and draw nearer to our gracious Heavenly Father. Today I started to feel a little bit hungry but quickly remembered my reasoning for fasting. I took a second to ponder my reasons and was quickly reminded of why it is so important to continue on. I continued to listen to the testimonies being shared. I am so grateful for a wonderful ward with such strong testimonies. Just by sitting in the chapel you can feel so much love. Afterwards Audrey and I were off to primary as our first week of being co-sunbeam teachers. I am very happy to say that it went well and I can already tell these kids are going to teach me something very important. Patience. 

I hope you have a beautiful remainder of your Sunday :)

All my love,

Aleigh Joy

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